Durga Pooja In Dehradun

1^st October     Durga Pooja In Dehradun

Pooja here was a mixed bag as we were not aware of the popel who stay here also we were not involved in any of the celebrations. Mainly Partha is not very interested. The bhog prashad which is a trade mark of probashi bong (NRB) festivals is absent in West Bengal. ... Here in Dehradun it is sponsored by people…

On saptami Mukherjee poribar on

Ashtami " jaggi and kumar family". 

In Indore the "chanda" collected would be used for lunches. Ranna ghor would be closed from ‘sashti’ evening to Dusshera but still standing in lines and watching the program used to be very tiring. There in Indore the sweet dish if any was sponsored and the sponsor’s name would be announced on mike system.

 

At Durga Badi near Doon School

2^nd October

We are here at the maha ashtami pooja and as usual with the growing and hungry populace there is a huge wait list and line for every place possible. I miss my Indore so much. We don’t know anyone here.. and also feel like idiots in a huge crowd. 

This day we had com to visit  the Ram Krishna math and there is an air of serenity about the place. There monks of all shapes and sizes. Some cute ones were serving us food. There was rice, poori, two types of wet vegs and also a sweet at the end. My Mil talked to a guru who has taked Dikha. She was also pleased to meet a guru bhai, who resides now in Kolkata but had come here especially on the occasion of Durga Pooja. We then went home.

Yesterday for “maha saptami pooja” there was a  small nritya natika called  " Iti Mrinal". It was about a mejo bou who saddened about the death of her sister who died as she was married to an idiot atyachari man so she kills herself.  She told on a song.. "you may have won but you will be defeated by death who will take me from your clutches".

So Mrinal says..  I won't go to your house goli number (some bong number which I could nor catch). She becomes a sadhavi. She tells her hubby all this in a letter and we saw it as a play.  There was a dance in the song ... " mm chitte... niti nrittye.. ke je naache ...ta ta thoi thoi... tata toi thoi... I loved that specially.  Before that there was a katthak dance by a group called divine group.

At Ram Krishna Math

In the morning there was a huge war for flowers and leaves that only bongs all over the world manage to fight each year. Then we were told that there would be a long wait before lunch which is why we left the campus and went to Ram Krishna math Dehradun.

Pooja at Raipur

Let me wind up and enjoy the fight the bongs have over flowers and leaves at this time of the year. It is the time for Pushpanjali.

The slim Shovona Coming out of her Cocoon

The GM diet

This week I joined a gym called “the Gym”. It also has a web site called thegym.in, and I believe it is the smartest thing that I have done after coming to Dehradun. I was getting fatter and fatter and sadly there seemed little I could do about it.

 I went for walks but more often than desired the rain washed off these puny efforts at dieting and exercising, the wet rains and samosas were not helping either. 

One day on one of my rounds I saw that I definitely needed help so I walked in one of the best gyms that I could see “the GYM”, it was good.

The machines were great even better than they were in Gold gym. The instructors had formed a guild of their own. There was a guy called Narendra who due to ruptured ligaments of his wrist can do no more exercise. My instructor was a chap called Pawan who I can describe as a sarcomere. I believe he is trying out for Mr. India. 

It was he who suggested the GM diet after seeing my weight of (please excuse me people I am too ashamed) Kg. Even I was shocked at the increased weight.

The fate of the decision was sealed when I saw a woman there who had done a bariatric surgery and as a result had come down from 160 to 80 Kgs and was still at it. She said in the first few days she could eat with a spoon and more than 3 spoons caused her to vomit. She told me to go for bariatric surgery as there was otherwise no way out and that she was a very satisfied customer. 

I AM SHOCKED AND SCARED…. WAAAAAAAAA….So here is my tryst with the GM diet that I have always advocated against because :-

• ·       It is a fad diet.
• ·       It removes particular group of nutrients from each day that can’t be good.
• ·       Punishing your digestive system for the sins of your greed does not seem fair
• ·       Plus I have always grown up believing that dieting is bad for you.

Day 1

Today  was a fruit day and I started the day with 2 apples and a pomegranate. Then there was punishing gym in which Pawan made me do many kicks for the abs also the hip curlers. The muscles which had been asleep for many days woke to a jump start and that evening was very painful. …so painful that I had to miss the second day of the gym.

Post gym I had another apple

Lunch was one pomegranate, one apple, and a bowl of papayas

I had papayas in the evening and ditto for dinner.

Day 2

Today was the day of fresh vegetables. I started the day with

a huge Steaming boiled potato

then there was the usual gym

I had made a veg stock with onions, capsicum, carrots and beans. I had a cup of the same in the mid morning after I had come back from the gym

Lunch was one cup veg stock

Cucumbers 2

Red ripe tomato

Capsicum which was crunchy and juicy

then  at about 4 I had a cup of the veg stock.

Tea was a cup of  green tea ( no milk and no sugar)

Dinner was  a cup of boiled vegetables.

Before dinner I was in pain because my stomach had been empty and I was miserable.

Day 3

Vegetables and fruit.

It is amazing that I wake up each morning with stength and vitality. In the morning before gym I had two asian pears.

After gym there was a big bowl of papayas waiting for me.

Lunch was 1. Pomegranate, 1. Apple, 3. Abig bowl og bioled and sauted bitter gourd (it is not as bad as it soungs seasoning was pav bhaji masala lime and pepper salt)

After noon about one and half hour later I had a snack of papayas and  cup of the veg stock. Remains of yesterday.

Dinner was thankfully good there was cauliflower, peas and carrot boiled and was yummy because it was so hot. Stomach was cramped today because of bad shit and I was constantly hungry.

Day 4

Banana and milk

Today I had two bananas and milk in the morning, pre workout and after that I felt such a relief as the milk entered my system I felt soooo satiated. Work out was also better as I was able to cope with many things that I can’t do otherwise. I came back home thinking of having more bananas but strangle still felt full, instead I had water and felt ok. I am having shit problems but I guess a few more days.. (so sorry digestive system and digestive juices). The lunch was also 2 bananas and a cup of milk.

For tea I had green tea which is so much better than the boring stuff I have been eating. (Which is green tea leaves put in a cup of steaming water and lemon juice.). I followed it later by one more banana. Dinner was also two bananas and milk.. now I cold manage only half cup of milk.

Day 5

Today it is brown rice and 4 ripe red tomatoes. With the 1^st bite of brown rice I felt sooooo good. The website of General motors specified one bpwl brown rice but what

brown rice???? After boiled or before boiling.

Lunch was also brown rice and it was so filling that I could not manage more than one bowl.

Tea again made up of one cup green tea

Dinner boring brown rice and it is sad that for the next two days too there is brown rice and veggies and fruits.

I had prepared one bowl of brown rice which lasted me the entire day. I suppose that is why it was boring.

Day 6

Brown rice and veggies

Pre workout I had taken the brown rice left from yesterday and that was done thank god.

Post gym I weighed myself WOW I am 4 kgs down yay! All that pain and suffering seems worth it now.

Today I made half the qualtity of rice and made it with vegetables. I realised what a blunder it was that I had weighed in because now I was elated. I added a bit of butter and added capsicum carrots to the veg mixture

Lunch was boiled vegetables plus a bowl of brown rice

Evening tea was one cup green tea and for dinner there was again Boring brown rice.

Day 7

Brown rice and fruits.

Thank God it is fruits day today.

Breakfast was one red apple

Post gym I had 1 Asian Pear and 1 pomegranate

Lunch was papayas red apple and one asian pear.

For tea I had a bowl of brown rice (BIG MISTAKE) I was so hungry that I could not wait for it to boil properly and when It was half prepared I gobbled it down… I had to chew hard.

We had been called for dinner an uncle’s birthday I took with me a tiffin of papayas and had a glass of Limca too.

When I weighed my self on the last day there was no change from the 4^th day…… waaaaaaaaaaa.

Now I have to maintain it properly.

One good thing of this fad diet is that I have given up eating refined sugar. Thank you God and thanks to my gym instructor who refused to make me  do any weight trining till I had shed some weight.

Trip to Landour and mussorie

Trip to Landour and Mussoorie

A two days break from the monotony of what life has become is never a bad idea... following the same we went for a weekend gateway to Landour and Mussorie.

We reached a hotel called The Mussorie Club. It was a beautiful place. for the past few days we had been unable to see the queen of hill stations ......we discovered the cause. .. clouds...they were surrounding is all over and floating  like fog ..here and there. 

walk in the clouds

We had lunch in the hotel itself and there after we went  for a walk through Mall Road. I was in a green saree with sports shoes we walked and walked through the clouds.

 Had the place been less commercialized i could have written poetry. It gave a whole new meaning to the word floating in cloud 9. I think I floated in many clouds not just 9. Then we reached the place where we took ropeway for"Gunhill Top". That place was super commercialized. 

There were  

1.shoot the balloon shops, 

2.shoot target with bow and arrow. 

3.Ring the prize hoopla. 

4. PHOTOGRAPHERS were walking around with  garland of erstwhile photographs promising to make us look great in kashmiri dressess. 

5. There were clay models of Dinosaurs. . In whose mouth we could place our head and take pictures. .. also innocent deers, peacocks and larger than the deer rabbits. We could hug them and take pics for Rs 10. 

don't miss the dino

There was a sulabh sbouchalay where we could piss for 5 bucks..

Near the Sulabh Shouchalaya

 all this in the serene surroundings of Gods heaven. The rope way was good but for us who are used  the ropeway of Mansa devi and Chandidevi of Haridwar it was dirty diapilated dingy and pathetic

We walked back and bought clothes from road side shops nightie for mum one hoodie jacket for Kukku. He saw a book store and we bought three books.

 

Diary of Whimpy kid

Dead and famous issac newton

Dead and famous writers.

Lost in a Maze of Books

We had coffee cakes and kathi roll in a shop called Chic chocolate. Two Americans were sitting and talking to the proprietor. They were surprised at the Western dishes that shop could dole out. There were cheese cake.. peanut butter cake apple pies. They were surprised to see that they could make German Cheese.  I could see that the proprietor was a regular guy like us. He had decorated the walls of his shop with posters of Marlyn Monroe Greta Garbo Lawrence of Arabia. Plus the music being played was the golden oldies like yesterday of Beatles and others that we had in the cassette that one elder brother had given me once.  The Americans were wearing pagdi like the Sikhs.

We came back in the waft of the clouds and rested till 700.  We had planned to go to Landour but evening was cold and cloudy so we went again to Mall Road. We happened to come to a shop called Natraj Woollens. He sold us so many things. It was a great shop.  We bought :-

1. 2 sweat shirts  me and Partha

2. 2 lowers mamoni and Goles

3. 2 lowers kukku

All this was Monte Carlo. Ek ke saath ek free. Wow na.

At the TAVERN

Now we are back after a great dinner at a place called the Tavern. There was a boy with guitar and sang songs of  ...Arijit.. who's a rage these days. 

I had a ice cream and Kukku sulked because we did not order anything from the Mussoorie Dominoes.. They will never be happy

On day 2 we left the under age and over age in the hotel itself and went for a long hike... to Landour. It was a long and arduous journey. Mussorie and Landour are only 4.5 km walking but I have send the feedback saying they should consider the terrain as well. The navigator said we could reach Landour in 15 min... but it took more time we reached by 45 min.

we were in Landour market by 10 min but the climb uphill was a terrible terrible climb and made me realize how unfit I have become. 

It had a slope of considerable gradient.  We had to bent our bodies ar 45 degrees to walk uphill. I could feel my heart beat loudly.

 I recalled what Tara, one mountaineer who was with us for the idiscoveri  training, had told me... mountaineering is all about mind over body. If you feel tired rest a while,  then proceed... remember the mountain is all the things you have to defeat in life... if you let the mountain win you will loose in life also.

He could not write properly but while we were climbing he was going up and down repeatedly. Many gave up and sat down but he kept on yelling me to go on cajoling... scolding... endearing... comforting.. taunting.. I made it to the top. You know he could barely write!!! A young skinny pahadi man of about 18. He was with us and carrying in his bagpack all our picnic stuff.

Poor Partha was walking with a big handicap ... me... I remembered Tara's words and walked on Partha was equally insistent that I reach "char dukan". We took many  pictures on the way .. and finally reached our destination of about 45 min. Which navigator had told about 10 min. The slope started in the last one km.

We reached "char dukan".

Char Dukan Landour

There is a school called Woodstock there and we saw a few.students from that school in Char Dukan. They were foreigners. 

Also there was a motor biking gang of Harley Davidson Bikes which had crossed while I wes huffing and puffing on my way to the top. I HAD a bun and omlette. Partha had veg sandwiches.

If you do go there remember to try Tip top restaurant at char dukan, it is great. There are pics of Sachin Tendulkar in that shop. I have posted the pic on face book. I remember the times I was once in Surankot... 

At tip top (since 1910) it was nice and peaceful and cool all my sweat was drying and I felt I was in heaven. Even the stray dogs were veru cute to look at. We had started at 7 30 and reached back at 10 15. 

Downhill was easy but because of my knees I was slightly careful and cautious.  When we reached Landour market I was able to walk faster than Partha. .. who made insignificant and insulting remrarks (jokes) about the bun and omlette vis a vis my metabolism.

After reaching I had bought back a waffle for kukku but they had eaten breakfast of bread pakoda s. And the waffle was cold so it was not eaten. We started the journey back home at 11 am.

Reached d dun by 12 15 am and then had lunch at Anandam... a little like the Haldiram outlet when we  travel back from Mathura  to Delhi. There is a shop called "Raising dough" nearby, we bought back square bread from the shop and also blue berry cheese  cake... 

A guy there was very pleased as I was Bengali. He was too. A final year student doing hotel management in d dun.

Came back after 2 good days. The hotel was good but the sheets appeared damp also one night before one company had held a cabaret  dancing function in the hotel audi hall and their comp employees were there. We saw skimply dresses girls  confidently and boldly walking in the hall for dancing.

In the journey I loved :-

1. Walk to Landour

2. The book shop Cambridge. 

3. Walk in the clouds.

4. Chic chocolate and Tavern

5. Char Dukan.

Wow two good days.

A few days in Dehradun

date 20/05/14

Shiv temple on the wat to Mussorie

beautiful scenery

The morning woke me up at about 9 30 am. very lazy and very late..mother in law woke me up saying that Goles was not waking. Kukku was still snuggling in my elbow... got up late and then had breakfast of bread and milk. Just coached kukku in the morning and Munia was  busy cooking a great chicken biryani. DOES IS NOT LOOK GREAT

CHICKEN BIRYANI

    

MUNIA ADDING LAST TOUCHES

It is not surprsising as she is a great cook. Sonju's garden has a wonder ful view as you can see in the pic below

SONJU'S GARDEN

In the morning there is a wonderful bird who sings and wakes us up also there is a lull of peace and happiness which is not there IN non army areas. As I have already told you of the great walking plaza.. this is what they call it here helps us to walk properly.

In the evening Sonju took me to buy two suitcases and I did, he also showed us around there are wonderful houses and beautiful scenery, the other ranks houses are also very grand these days, water got over and Sonju had to get the same from his sources.

in the night Partha and Sonju went to Doon Darbar and got mutton stew and Afgani naan for us all as I was already stuffed to the gills I did not eat much and as good about it all .

21/05/14

Today I made breakfast of poha and all had the same and said many nice things about it. after which we had a bath and then Partha said that he Sonju  would take us to see Mussorie. so  before breakfast we .... Goles Kukku and me got ready for the same and after filling up a bottle of water went tothe car there were golden oldies playing which were very grand.

clump of trees

we saw wonderful sights

Beautiful SHIV temple

there also we took many of our pictures and had sun we walked along CAMEL's back and took pics on the way

KUKKU AND GOLES CAMEL'S BACK

LET ME TAKE A SELFIE

KUKKU TOOK THE PIC

After which we drove through mall road Mussorie. there was a very steep climb and we managed with great difficulty to make it up to a place called Ladaour. That place is nice. We also saw the house of Ruskin Bond, which was on the was. We stopped at a place where there are four shops and guess what they are called ..... Char dukan, there they make their version of waffles and pancakes we had a nice time enjoying them. there is also a tree and that place retains the old world charm. we had a lot of fun there

KUKKU IN CHAR DUKAN

GOLES AND ME UNDER THE TREE PLEASE SEE SBI ATM BEHIND

WAFFLES AND ICECREAM AT CHAR DUKAN

From there we took off at about 4 30 and went around a small round and then went to a point called "Laal tibba" there are many amazing houses there which have the names of old english houses but they are now owned by Kapoors or Chauhans .

ANGREJI BEAT TE

There were wonderful scenery out there and I cant help but feel envious at all the Chauhans and Kapoors who have the serenity and tranquility of nature to enjoy 

A BABY FEMALE CONE

  

A THING OF BEAUTY IS JOY FOREVER

 We afterwards went to a restaurent called Orchard in Dehradun which sold us all types of amazing dishes called

kothe

2. kim cho... basically a salad with spicy sauce and sesame seeds

3. a funny chcken dish with capsicum onions ans chicken

it was a good and event ful day. Let me end for the day

days in dehradun part II

well this is the log entry for 21st may 2014

there are many things going on here that it is cumbersome to know when to begin.

1. Goles is crazy about the  new Sherlock Holmes and so she is on the net also on tumbler downloading the pics of her hero who does not know of her existence. we are telling her to study but she does not want to at all and that is why there is a great controversy going on around her all the time. Parth is bugged with her so are Sonju and Mother in law as well. I am too but I know her she will  not study 

2. mil is none to happy about the frank nature of the 2nd son, frankly speaking that is his only vice...  he does every thing for every body and is blessed with God too looks after his father was there with us for the case of bapi as well but sometimes he splews out garbage... from his mouth........i do not care so much but MIL is appalled and very angry about the same.  She is not watching tv at all for the same reason. Thank god for the smart phone. We are able to see the things of our desire on the same.

First few days in Dehradun

19.05.14

Yesterday we went to goles exam centre which was in Graphic era university. .. there we met Nidhi the super mom with her super daughter. The one who is no. 1 in  in icse board in class 10th. Of course she boasted for the entire time about her daughter's proeess and the ocse results are out she has 95% marks.... I just made small talk. .really having kids is very stressful.  Then she tried to tell us to come to her house (so that she could show us the trophies) but I declined tactfully.

There is a beautiful Buddha temple nearby where we could spemd some quality time together but... Partha does not see the world in same colours as I do... as we were on the way there we saw a few parents walking towards the same spot (three) and we were in the car. Partha asked  them where they were going.. and as their destination was same came with us in the car... 

As I had predicted for the lift back. .. (it was sunny and hot) they stuck to is like leeches and made silly small talk like modi....weather... examinatiins etc. The temple was beautiful however and the people gave us the impression that we were once again in Shillong.

Partha also treated them to coffee and patties and "after we had paid for the snacks" offered to pay us back by opening their purses and showing me the contents.

There were two mothers and one dad. At 12 45 we came back to the venue and met Nidhi.. who once again started about her life and times... but I got to admit she is a smart girl.. knows about the cut offs dates and all other stuff..  Goles came back.. and after bidding audieu to the three meddlers went back to home. We came home and had lunch of fish kalia... rice and curd banana. It was tasty.

In the evening we went for a walk...(. another thing there are many stray dogs here which munia feeds one of the has given many pups this very morning so we are enjoying that as well.)

 ... well initially it was Goles and me then k wanted to come and then  finally the whole family went out together. It was k and me in the front and g and p following us... it was a race and we were winning so we k and me enjoyed a lot. It was a big path. .. there are speakers attatched to poles and we enjoyed doppler effect with nice eng oldies. The walking path i.e. Mall Road, was  a long one and there were many other walkers who were enjoying the path with us. We saw RIMC, ONGC kv's gate and the golf course.

After we came back.. sonju told us that he would take us to the bar.... his mess bar.... and then to a Tibetian restaurant called " Kal sang". 

At the bar were Vijay pal Sonju's friend saying when we leave (sonju jbp and vijay andaman) we should not be surprised if the bottles came running after us "hume chod ke mat jao him aur bhi strong ho jayenge" because humne unhe jitna pyar diya hai koi aur de nahi sakta.....

After having a cocktail of vodka, lime, mint syrup, and salt . Partha's had mocktail kukku and goles had soft drinks. I had one but sonju and munia had a lot of them...three I think and then we DROVE to the kal sang...we had another officer with us called col Vijay pal. His wife is in selaqui international school. In admin part.

While there on Rajpur road we were turning for the parking when Another motor bike hit Sonju's car. (The man was wrong because he was over taking from the wrong side in great speed... sonju was wrong for turning with the wrong indicator and not seeing before turning).And there was a royal scuffle. ..Vijay got out and started abusing with mc and bc the driver whose helmet was crashed started WWE stuff with vijay pal... who is a strong chap and gave it as good as he got. SONJU got out and hit the driver.

 The other two it seems were pillion riders and had asked for a lift, fled the moment the scuffle started. VIJAY pal called armed guards from the mess (when Sonju was busy with the driver) which was just close by.. Munia came out the moment she saw the rider give Sonju a wack and shouted ...... "molestation lagayega".....Vijay pal had to forcibly put her back in the car. Partha was also out the moment the schuffle started and first tried to save the bike rider from Vijay and  then gripped the rider hard when he saw him trying to hug Sonju who has just given him  one under the chin... just for you to imagine it was three people hugging each other.Sonju claimed he was trying to tickle the driver so that he would leave Sonju for more "under the chin" works while Partha held on. After that when the driver saw that he was out numbered. .with Vijay Pal a burly over 6 footer threatning armed action and 2 hugging men.. did the only thibg possible for him I.e. fled the scene.

Kukku and Goles were scared and said so. Kukku was scared but later wanted the details of Vijay pal so vijay has two admiring kids. 

It was fun and we talked of nothing other than the schuffle which was a fun thing to have happened. Munia called Partha "Buddha" the peace loving God which upset Partha a bit but I cheered him up later on.

All in all it was a fun evening and we enjoyed.